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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · swing · band · clip · rule · bulb · face · cue

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. clip — a video
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cue — a hint
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. swing — music
  7. face — to confront
  8. rule — government
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. clip — to cut
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. swing — to play on
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cue — for pool
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bulb — for light
  21. band — a music group
  22. clip — for paper
  23. band — a ring
  24. bulb — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com